Serious help please? Forum

[Fiera]

Hi, I'm going into my 3rd year of undergrad this September and (being a year ahead) am currently supposed to be taking the LSAT this October and applying to law schools. My GPA is a 3.90 cumulative. UNFORTUNATELY, my studying for the LSAT isn't going so great. I diagnosed at a 160 in July and feel like I'm not really improving very rapidly....I really wanted to attend Stanford or Harvard, so my slow progress with the LSAT is really disconcerting.

Should I wait a year to take the LSAT and apply, giving myself more time to study? Or should I just do what I can now and go for it? If I took a year off, that would mean my entire last year of undergrad would go on the transcript I sent to law schools, right? As opposed to just my 1st and 2nd year grades plus maybe 1 quarter of my 3rd if I chose to apply by this Feb? So that would put more pressure on me to maintain my gpa?

Also, if I took a year off and applied by Feb 2013 instead of Feb 2012, when/what year exactly would the school year start for law school?

I'm very confused and uncertain of what to do right now, since my second-guessing is seriously disrupting my life plans, haha. Any advice? :/ It would be really appreciated.

[rinkrat19]

When you say you're going into your 3rd year of UG but are a year ahead, do you mean you're graduating in June 2012?

1. You don't want to apply by February, you want to apply by Thanksgiving. Most school have rolling admissions, which means you have a much better shot by applying early, before they've allocated most of their seats. February is very late and will screw you.

2. If you are really set on Harvard or Stanford, take the LSAT in October, but be prepared to wait a year and retake if you don't score high enough (169+ gives you about a 50% shot at Stanford, according to lawschoolpredictor. For Harvard you'll need a 171+ for the same odds). If you're willing to settle for a lower school, by all means, apply this year and take what you can get. A 165 should get you at least a couple of lower T14.

3. If you apply this coming cycle, school starts fall 2012. If you wait a year, school starts fall 2013.

My first impression? You're not ready. Take the year. Study. Get a job. Achieve drinking age.

[inchoate_con]

I hate to say it it, but.... clearly you are retarded. Go to medical school because this is not a game for little girls. However, if you do sack up and grow a pair,...... go to medical school.

See, I did not decide on law school until I kicked a crack habit..... but you.....

[booboo]

Was/is it hard to maintain that 3.9? If so, you may want to consider applying this year, solely because your ED options into the T14 will dwindle once you drop below 3.85.

If it is H/S or bust, I'd forgo applying to law school this year and apply for the next cycle. Which means you'll be the entering class of 2013. If you graduate in May, you probably have a solid month of strict prepping that you can do without detriment to your grades, and even if you can do basic practice through the school year, you should be able to get your score where you want, depending on how reasonable your expectations are. If you bomb June, you have the entire summer to dedicate to really prepping, and after that point, if you aren't in a position to score where you like, you may be aiming too high (not to be a Debbie Downer). You'll probably need a 173/174 to have a better than 50% chance at H and S (though S can be mysterious in admissions).

[HYSnNothingLess]

Hey Booboo I like your advice! It has a lot of charisma. Let's start a picnic.

[Fiera]

I hate to say it it, but.... clearly you are retarded. Go to medical school because this is not a game for little girls. However, if you do sack up and grow a pair,...... go to medical school.

See, I did not decide on law school until I kicked a crack habit..... but you.....

Excuse me? Somehow I doubt your very diplomatically stated opinion is going to make me change my career path to suit your preferences. If you think I'm retarded maybe you should reassess your own social skills, or lack thereof.

Am I asking really obvious questions? YES. It's called thinking out loud so people can follow my line of thinking and better be able to address my worries and offer more relevant advice when they reply. But if you're just set on being rude, go right ahead. An anonymous name on cyberspace isn't going to hurt my feelings.

[Fiera]

Thank you guys for your replies. I know Harvard and Stanford are stretches, but anything in the top 5 would be fantastic, and I definitely would want to at least get into the top 10. As far as my GPA, I've been ascending every quarter ever since Freshmen year, so I feel like it would be unlikely I'd drop below a 3.85, but dropping below the 3.9 range would be a bummer in general, so it makes me nervous.

How much time did you guys dedicate to seriously studying for the LSAT? And did your scores improve a solid amount? I've been studying for a month and not seeing significant improvements really. But maybe I'll just be a late bloomer.

[spleenworship]

How are you studying?

[esq]

I hate to say it it, but.... clearly you are retarded. Go to medical school because this is not a game for little girls. However, if you do sack up and grow a pair,...... go to medical school.

See, I did not decide on law school until I kicked a crack habit..... but you.....

Excuse me? Somehow I doubt your very diplomatically stated opinion is going to make me change my career path to suit your preferences. If you think I'm retarded maybe you should reassess your own social skills, or lack thereof.

Am I asking really obvious questions? YES. It's called thinking out loud so people can follow my line of thinking and better be able to address my worries and offer more relevant advice when they reply. But if you're just set on being rude, go right ahead. An anonymous name on cyberspace isn't going to hurt my feelings.

LMFAO! Thanks for the laugh OP.